‍

Creating a Wildlife-Friendly Garden: Simple Steps to Get Started

Wildlife gardening doesn’t need to be wild.

In Oxfordshire’s villages—from Blewbury to Wolvercote—we’ve helped design and maintain gardens that support birds, bees, butterflies and small mammals, without ever looking unkempt or overgrown.

The key is restraint. Thoughtful planting. Quiet pockets of shelter. With these simple steps, you can make your garden a haven for wildlife—without giving up its order or charm.

Start with Layered Planting

Diversity supports life. That doesn’t mean chaos—it means variety in height, structure, and season.

A well-layered garden might include:

• Low groundcover like geranium and thyme
• Mid-level perennials such as foxgloves, sedum, or rudbeckia
• Shrubs including dogwood, viburnum, or native privet
• Small trees like crab apple or hazel

This structure gives shelter to insects and small birds, while preserving the calm visual rhythm that defines many gardens in Barford St John or Kidlington.

For long-term planning, see: The Ultimate Oxfordshire Garden Calendar: What to Plant and When

Provide Water, Discreetly

Even a shallow dish of water will bring birds, insects, and hedgehogs in. It doesn’t need to be ornate—a glazed pot, old basin, or tucked-away trough works beautifully.

Just be sure to:

• Place it near cover, not in the open
• Include a stone or sloped edge for access
• Top it up in dry spells

We often install low-key wildlife water features in gardens around Steventon and North Leigh, where natural integration is key.

Let Some Shelter Remain

You don’t need to let things grow wild—but leaving small pockets of shelter helps enormously.

Try:

• A neat log pile at the edge of a border
• Hollow stems left until late spring
• A few square feet of unmown grass at the base of a hedge

These quiet decisions invite in ladybirds, toads, bumblebee queens, and overwintering butterflies—especially valuable near old stone walls or hedgerows common in Alvescot or Begbroke.

See also: How to Bring Bees and Butterflies into Your Garden

Choose Native Over Novel

While there’s nothing wrong with an elegant non-native like hydrangea or Japanese maple, wildlife prefers what it knows. Native plants provide better food and shelter.

Consider planting:

• Hawthorn, rowan, or dog rose
• Wild marjoram, knapweed, or scabious
• Blackthorn or field maple for hedging

These work quietly alongside more formal planting, especially when grouped and maintained with care.

Avoid Chemicals, Allow Balance

Pesticides undo everything. Even a small amount can harm bees, hoverflies, or birds feeding on treated insects.

Instead, focus on:

• Timing your pruning to prevent pest buildup
• Attracting predator insects (like ladybirds and lacewings)
• Using mulch and compost to keep soil healthy naturally

For guidance: The Best Time to Prune Hedges in Oxfordshire

Keep Structure—and Let Life Fill It

Wildlife doesn’t require mess. It requires opportunity.

• A clipped hedge can house nesting birds
• A clean gravel path can still border flowering thyme
• An orderly border can hum with bees

It’s not about rewilding—it’s about stewardship. Done well, you won’t notice the wildlife first. You’ll just notice the garden feels alive.

Read more: Why We Only Work in Villages – and Why That Matters

The best wildlife gardens are rarely loud. They’re composed, intentional, and quietly full of life.

And in Oxfordshire’s villages, where every garden borders fields, walls or woodland, the invitation to nature is already there. You only need to open the gate.

‍